Victory Garden 2014

   Well, its that time of year again, and boy are we ready!! After the weird winter and spring in our neck of the woods, foods prices are expected to be high, especially produce.  It is almost a necessity to grow your own food if you want to make the most of your grocery budget. During WWII, with food being shared with the troops and allies, the government encouraged people to garden, no matter what kind of space they had to spare.  Container gardening became very popular, as every little bit of soil became a commodity. The government put out free publications instructing the Homefront gardener on creating Victory Gardens, no matter where they may live. Here is just one of many books (available in digital form on Archive.org) that was offered by the Dept. of Agriculture.

https://archive.org/details/VictoryGardenLeadersHandbook

(Click image for PDF format)

     When planting a garden, give a good mind to where the plants are going.  Is it sunny, partly shaded, very shaded?  What does your family eat?  It would be silly to plant turnips and parsnips if your family refuses to eat them! Also take the area available into consideration.  Don't grow watermelon or pumpkins in a 4'x4' garden!! Your taxes pay for all kinds of gardening resources and information.  It should be taken advantage of.  Here is a link to just a few resources:

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=GARDENING&parentnav=CONSUMER_CITIZEN&navtype=RT

      As we have been doing the last few years, we are also growing a Victory Garden.  We decided on Beets, as the greens and the root are both edible (and delicious!). We are also doing spinach in the garden bed, because it can be eaten raw or cooked, and is very versatile (and full of nutrition).  We are thinking we might do one or two others, but have not decided as of yet what to plant (though I am thinking onions).  In a container, we are doing bush tomatoes. There is no need to use cages or supports, as they do well in smaller containers.  In hanging baskets we have strawberries as well.

   

Bush Tomatoes

Step one: clear out the weeds!!

      There is one more advantage to creating a Victory Garden that is never taken into consideration, your health! Gardening is an excellent form of exercise. Plus it gets the gardener outdoors in the sunshine, helping the body make lots of vitamin D.  During WWII, there were no video games, almost no TV's or TV stations, so families spent much of their time puttering around the yard.  Gardening can bring a 21st Century family together as well, teaching kids there is more to life than indoor pursuits.  Children feel a real sense of accomplishment when they tend a garden and see the actual fruits (and vegetables) of their labor!!

    For more information on gardening in your climate and other questions about the Homefront Kitchen, contact me via comments below or on our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/HomefrontKitchen.